Academics and students on Tuesday stressed the need for inclusion of topic related to traffic laws in the school curriculum to make people aware of the issue from the very childhood.
They also called upon the government to take immediate steps to implement traffic laws strictly and take punitive measures against the law breakers.
They made the call at a human chain formed at the base of Raju sculpture on the Dhaka University campus in protest at the death of the university student Billal Hossain in a road accident on October 26.
Expressing deep shock at Billal’s death, the university vice-chancellor, AAMS Arefin Siddique, said that the pedestrians and others should follow the traffic rules and remain careful during crossing roads in the city and elsewhere in the country to avert road accidents.
He also emphasised the need for inclusion of traffic issues in the school curriculum, saying it would come out as a fruitful move in creating awareness among people.
He also announced that Tk 2 lakh would be given to Billal’s family from the university fund and Billa’s sister would be given a job in the university.
The university proctor, KM Saiful Islam, said bus, trucks and other heavy vehicles ply the streets across the campus violating traffic rules as of the university’s all eight entrances are not properly maintained for lack of manpower.
He also said the university authorities would soon take measures to deploy more manpower at the entrances to restrict the movement of heavy vehicles across the campus.
He said the authorities concerned in most cases failed to give exemplary punishment to the killer drivers.
Sociology teacher Mokkadem Hossain said untrained drivers and unfit vehicles are getting licences and plying the city roads freely because of the corruption by a section of governmental officials.
Nirapad Sarak Chai chairman Elias Kanchan said defective road system, unfit vehicles, negligence of the licence issuing authorities are some of the factors behind road accidents.
The students also placed a six-point demand, including exemplary punishment of the driver of the Turag Paribahan bus which killed Billal, Tk 10 lakh compensation by Turag Paribahan for Billal’s family, exemplary punishment of Billal’s killer and a ban on the movement of vehicles without sticker on the campus.
Earlier, sociology students and teachers brought a mourning procession on the campus.
